COVID-19 Vaccine

The College continues to monitor the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine to our community in accordance with city and state guidelines. On this page you will find information about the vaccine, including links to messages to the community about the vaccine, city and state vaccine resources, and reminders.

• Read the 02/11/2021 message on New York Covid-19 Vaccination Updates.
• Read the 01/12/2021 message on New York Covid-19 Vaccination Updates.
• Read the 01/11/2021 message on New York Covid-19 Vaccination.

Beginning on February 15, 2021, individuals with “comorbidities” will be made eligible for vaccination. In general, New York State will follow the CDC’s guidance on people with certain medical conditions. Currently, the NYS list of eligible conditions include:*

• Cancer (current or in remission, including 9/11-related cancers)
• Chronic kidney disease
• Pulmonary Disease, including but not limited to, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), asthma (moderate-to-severe), pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, and 9/11 related pulmonary diseases
• Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities including Down Syndrome 
• Heart conditions, including but not limited to heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathies or hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) including but not limited to solid organ transplant or from blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteriods, use of other immune weakening medicines, or other causes
• Severe Obesity (BMI 40 kg/m2), Obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30 kg/m2 or higher but < 40 kg/m2)
• Pregnancy
• Sickle cell disease or Thalassemia 
• Type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus
• Cerebrovascular disease (affects blood vessels and blood supply to the brain)
• Neurologic conditions including but not limited to Alzheimer’s Disease or dementia
• Liver disease

*The list is subject to change as additional scientific evidence is published and as New York State obtains and analyzes additional state-specific data.

On January 12, 2021 New York State added the following categories to Phase 1B:

• Individuals 65 or older
• Immunocompromised individuals - *The CDC has not yet defined “immunocompromised.” NYS and NYC officials are seeking additional guidance from the federal government regarding this category. The College will continue to monitor this for any further clarity.

As of January 11, 2021, New York State entered Phase 1B of the vaccination distribution. Therefore, under the current NYS and NYC criteria, members of the Barnard community may be eligible to make an appointment if they fall within the following categories:

• Health care workers
• Residents and staff at nursing homes
• Individuals conducting COVID-19 testing
• Individuals administering the COVID-19 vaccinations
• Individuals 75 or older
• Pre-K through 12th grade teachers and education workers
• Licensed and registered child care providers
• School-bus drivers
• First responders, meaning local police, State Police, Sheriff’s Office employees, professional and volunteer firefighters
• EMS workers, whether professional or volunteer
• Public transit workers, meaning airline and airport employees, passenger railroad employees, subway and mass transit employees, ferry employees, Port Authority employees, and public bus drivers), 
• Public safety workers, and
• Higher education faculty who are teaching in-person

As of February 2, 2021, New York City updated Phase 1B eligibility to include, under the Essential Workers category the following:

• NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) licensed drivers
• Restaurant workers

How to Make An Appointment for the COVID-19 Vaccine

Members of the community who believe they meet the current criteria for eligibility in New York will have to fill out a state questionnaire to confirm eligibility here; once submitted, this form will lead to a list of vaccination locations. The state and city websites also provide a list of locations for nearby pharmacies and providers that can administer the vaccine. You can also be in touch with our healthcare provider, if you have one; many of them are part of a hospital or other vaccination network and may be able to find you an appointment.

Eligible Bronx residents can make appointments for vaccination at Yankee Stadium. 

Eligible New York City residents can also make an appointment at the Armory in Washington Heights; 60% of new appointments are reserved for residents of Washington Heights, Inwood, Northern and Central Harlem, and the South Bronx. 

Beginning on Wednesday, February 10, 2021, Citi Field Stadium will become a 24/7 mega vaccination site. Half of the available doses will be reserved for eligible Queens residents. The other 50% of the doses will be reserved for TLC licensees and food delivery workers.

NYS has partnered with FEMA to open six additional community-based vaccination sites - one in each of Brooklyn, Queens, Buffalo, Rochester, Albany and Yonkers. NYS has reserved the first week of appointments at each site for New Yorkers living in areas with low vaccination rates. (See list of State-FEMA vaccination sites and eligible zip codes for each site here.) After one week, appointments will open to all residents of the vaccination site's host county, borough or specified target region. 

Therefore, beginning on March 3, appointments will be made available to all eligible Brooklyn residents at Medgar Evers College, and all eligible Queens residents at York College. Beginning on March 10, appointments will be made available to all eligible Buffalo, Rochester, Albany, and Yonkers residents at their respective sites. 

Eligible New Yorkers can schedule their appointments  for the State-FEMA vaccinations sites by utilizing New York's 'Am I Eligible' website or by calling the state's COVID-19 Vaccination Hotline at 1-833-NYS-4-Vax (1-833-697-4829)

Volunteers have also developed several aggregator resources for New Yorkers to find available appointment: Turbovax and NYC Vaccine.

Aside from resources developed by volunteers, there is no centralized online system to schedule appointments once eligibility has been confirmed. The eligible individual must then schedule an appointment with the desired location directly (via phone or online). As the vaccine rollout develops, a more centralized online system may be developed by the city or state. The College will continue to monitor this and provide any links and updates to the community as soon as possible.

Additionally, NYS and NYC have each launched hotlines which may be used by eligible members of the community to schedule a vaccination appointment: 

NYC: (877) VAX- 4NYC (1-877-829-4692)
NYS: (833) NYS - 4VAX (1-833-697-4829)

Please follow the instructions from your vaccination site about what to bring. At this time the city and state recommend bringing proof of eligibility. For those qualifying based on employment, proof may include your Barnard ID or pay stub. This document provides instructions  to set up an account on our system if you haven’t yet. Page 5 includes details on how to locate and print your pay stub. If you need additional assistance locating your pay stub through our online system please contact Human Resources. For eligibility based on age, bring a government-issued ID with your birth date. For eligibility based on existing medical conditions, please follow the instructions of the vaccination site, which may include providing a doctor's letter, medical information evidencing the condition, or a signed certification.

Members of the College community who are able to be or already have been vaccinated must continue to comply with all of Barnard’s COVID-19 policies—which include regular testing and the wearing of a face covering at all times—because vaccination does not exempt anyone from College coronavirus protocols implemented in 2020. As more becomes known about the availability and functioning of the vaccine, as well as the vaccination rate in our campus community, relevant College policies will be developed and shared with the community.

Additional COVID-19 Vaccine Resources: 

• New York State’s Vaccine Eligibility Screening Tool
• New York State’s distribution plan
• NYC interim vaccination plan
• NYC vaccine command center 
• NYC Vaccination Location Finder

Please note that if you live in a neighboring state but work at Barnard you are eligible to receive your vaccine in New York City. Still, your eligibility and the availability of the vaccine in your home state may be different than it is in New York.